"Resolution HOLY CRAP!!" Topic

What a great great book.

I didn't read Appaloosa as the film was supose to be quite close to the book so I bought resolution and started it on saturday.

The book is 90-95% dialog each chapter is 3-6 pages long and you can read 4 pages in a few minutes. so you can realy race though the book, I finished the 320 pages in 4 days.
As was lookingforward to bed time each day so I could read more of the book.
The dialog is fantasic, but short and simple, they say tones of things in just a few short words, the soul searching done by virgil to find out if he's just a gunhand or something more, their very special but strick moral code ect.
The new characters of Cato and Rose are realy fun and the Cato, rose, hitch and cole interaction is a joy to read.
I did kinda miss the danger of the first book/movie were the got shot, this didn't happen in this book, so it all kinda seemed to easy.
But it was til a great ride to read. lots of great charaters and cool story.
You do kinda belive that this could have happend in the west, as the don't take on 40 heavely armed gunhands, the ods are always beliveble. Even if Cole and hitch after a few books stack up quite the kill list.

I enjoyed all three books in the trilogy. "Brimstone" is the last. I selected "Appaloosa" as one of the top five western films since 1970 as the translation from book to film was flawless IMO. I really like the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch characters. Both are interesting with a relationship that defies logic and makes complete sense at the same time. The novels never lack for gunfight action and the dialogue never drags. I recommend seeing or reading "Appaloosa" before starting "Resolution" though.

Yes, I would not have started on resolution if I hadn't watched appaloosa, and I don't feel I missed anything but just watching the film, as the book and film are total in sync when it comes to charaters and dialog.

I REALY do hope the make more movies, it would be great to have the trilogy on film. the second book got a lot of new great characters what would be realy cool on the screen if you get the right actors

It would also be great if Parker continued the books as a series instead of ending it with "Brimstone". I can't imagine any film in the series without Ed Harris and Vigo Mortensen though. Since Harris directed and co-wrote the screenplay for "Appaloosa" there's a good chance that he would return, but I don't know about Mortensen.

I havn't read Brimstone, but I'll be sad if it's the last book, as I would love to read more.

And yes, any movie would have to have Harris and Mortensen.
But I think the big thing for Resolution would be getting the right people for Cato and Rose,

"Flawless", Ed? Wow, high praise indeed! I will be slapping that bad boy onto my Netflix queue for sure now. I saw that it was on TV last night but I hadn't really ever heard anything about it so I skipped it. You two have made sure I will see it soon.

Jerry

By "flawless' I meant that the screen version is faithful to the book. *Very* faithful. Not everyone loves the movie. I think most that don't have a problem with Virgil Cole's lover Allie French. Either they don't understand the relationship or they do and just don't like it. Or they think that Cole ought to get out of it and don't like it when he stubbornly refuses to do so. I don't like her either, but I think that the relationship is interesting, adds some tension, and helps us to better understand Cole's character. I'd like to hear your opinions as well, so be sure to post after you see it. (-:

I love westerns, but had not yet seen Appaloosa. Most modern westerns just don't capture what I'm looking for.

But I've got HBO for the first time in 25 years, and TiVo, and I broke down and recorded it. Watched it two nights ago.

It was a solid western film. The relationship between Cole and Hitch is perfect. The dialogue is great. The action believable.

Didn't care for Allie one bit, but I understood her complex character, and I also understood why Cole would stick by her. She's not loyal, and you think he would prize that above all else. But she's different from all the other companions he's had in his life.

Will I buy this one and add it to my collection? No. Once seen was enough. But it was certainly worth a viewing.

If Ed decides to pick up the rights to another book int he series, and can get Viggo back for Hitch, I won't hesitate next time to see it.

>>Didn't care for Allie one bit, but I understood her complex character, and I also understood why Cole would stick by her. She's not loyal, and you think he would prize that above all else. But she's different from all the other companions he's had in his life.<<

Right. Cole is trying elevate himself from being a simple enforcer, so his best friend is an obviously well educated West Point graduate and his lover is, at least outwardly, a refined lady. He's willing to overlook her transgressions as she can help to fill his cultural void with the polish that he lacks, but that won't go on forever, as you'll see in the later books.

I hated Allie French, not so much because of the charater, which is kinda intersting, but becasue I can't stand Renée Zellweger, ANYBODY would be better in that role then her, including john cleese in drag

I deeply resented Allie French – in much the same way as I resented Diana Villiers in Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey & Maturin series – because I saw her as undermining Cole and thought he deserved better.

It didn't help that she was played by Renee "Ah, crap, she's not in this, is she?" Zellweger.

I had to keep reminding myself she was the only available female for a week's ride in any direction.

(Worth noting that my dislike of the character didn't translate to a dislike of the movie, or the part Allie played in the narrative. A more trustworthy character would never have given rise to the on-screen conflict.)

Harris and Mortensen were very close to the way I pictured them from the book. Zellweger not so much. The way that she played the role made me like her even less, but hey, we're *supposed* to dislike her, so I guess she did a good job. (-: I wish some women would chime in here to give a female point of view. After all, some would say that Ally was just trying to get along in life in a very rugged time and area of the country, so she always picked the most "alpha" male to cling to. It could be argued that she was just being pragmatic.

I left out of my post that I liked Renee in Jerry McGuire, and have disliked her and every other movie she has been in since. As was stated, since she's playing someone we are supposed to dislike, it didn't ruin the movie for me.

But she's the reason I never need to see the movie again. Ever.

Hi

Opinions vary. I really liked her performance!

I have a pet sexist saying, "Women are genetically pre-disposed to drive men crazy". I have talked in a previous thread how my late friend "The crazy ranger" reminded me of Cole, and, sigh, his selection in women were pretty much like Allie and except that they were usually redheaded were semi-plain like the actress.

Or as I said the first time I reviewed the movie, I "know" those people.

I haven't read the third novel yet, but in the second…well allie….well. just read it.

Rocky

Hi

Actually, I was suddenly reminded of another "western" I like a lot "Bite the Bullet".

If you have seen the film, the hero meets an ex- whose cunning plan is to secure the release of her criminal hubby. When it comes to tears and blood, the Gene Hackman character talking about these things offers "There is not accountin' for the sorts of people people fall in love with!"

Rocky

I realy find they moral descusions they have quite special, they got their own morals not based on law, that they follow, they have no problem shooting drunks as long as they got guns, but they won't hit women or let a man take over a town.

They are in many ways very moral, just not the same morals as everybody els.

As they say, they do gun work becasue they are better at it then others, it's as simple as that, thats probebly what I like most about the books/movie.
I do think you find the same type of people in Special forces today. They do what they do becasue they can, they have a talent for it, honor and duty comes second.
The do what they do because they can and because of friendship with their comrads. not because of some laws or their flag

Gunfreak – don't hold back on Zellweger, tell us what you really think!

Bite the Bullet … one of my favorite western movies of all time. Easily a top ten for me.

"Hurts, don't it?"

"The people some people marry."

"Assaulto!"

"Do you think he meant it?"
"He must of … he said it twice."

The English Gentleman, a very snotty Jan Michael Vincent (and watching Gene Hackman deal with him), James Coburn, the always great Ben Johnson … the horses.

The finish line!

I think I'll be watching this today.

Rewatched this recently for the first time since I was a kid!
It's pretty damn good… although I think the horse-racing story is strong enough on its own, and the movie doesn't really need the (rather contrived) prison break subplot.

Hi

My wife was unsual in that she loved action/adventure movies and was not fond of "chick flicks". And a feminist. When told by her feminist friends that I abused her by "forcing" her to watch Clint Eastwood movies, she took to going to the same movies and pointing out how they were REALLY "chick flicks".

So, when the subplot of the prison break came on, my wife whispered in my ear "see this is a 'chick flick'"!

Grin.

She loved telling her friends about movies like this by emphasizing the "romantic" interest!

Rocky

All westerns are love stories, it's just not always a women involved.

In Silverado the love story is between Paden and Emmett.
In young guns it's between Billy the kid and Billy the kid.
In good bad and ugly it's between Tucco and gold ect.

Lots of love, not always with women and rearly romatic.

Hell if Cole had to choose bewteen hitch and Allie, he would take Hitch every single time.

>>Hell if Cole had to choose bewteen hitch and Allie, he would take Hitch every single time.<<

It seemed to me that Cole took Allie over Hitch in "Appaloosa". Wouldn't they have still been partners if Cole hadn't decided to stay with her?

Cole didn't know or understand why Hitch did what he did.

Firt in Resolution does cole realise that Hitch shot the guy for him, so he could be with allie.

In resolution Cole comes and finds Hitch because he missed him

>>In resolution Cole comes and finds Hitch because he missed him<<

***************** Spoiler *******************

For my reply see below.

Further below….

Cole came looking for Hitch because Allie left him.

*****************Spoiler*******************

Cole left Allie in a house aftre she ran away with another man, that cole leter shot.

But he would sooner or later have come to see Hitch again.
Allie is and were a temporary thing

Gunfreak

I disagree for a number of reasons, but i'll let it go here as we're getting into the later books and we'll just be posting one spoiler after another. (-:

Hi

Not western, sort of, but if you liked this stuff, you might check out Parker's "Jesse Stone" series. Same terse dialog without the author getting the locations wrong as he is local to the place.

Rocky

Finished Brimstone some time ago, the last shootout was great, but neither Cole or Hitch ever get close to getting shot, in appaloosa they actualy got shot, this didn't happen in Resolution or Brimstone.

On the other side, they can't get shot in every book.

Hi

In retrospect, I think the novels and this apply to our other thread about gunfights in a game. In essence when Cole and Hitch get shot, the observation is that "everyone could shoot". In these novels, most people are not gunmen, but regular people. It gets deadly when the actual "shooters" come together.

R

Yeah, but in the 3rd book, there are defantly people that can shoot, the main badguy clears his holster before cole gets him.

I would have liked a bit more bullets flying in the end.

It kinda seems like cole and hitch met their biggest danguer in the first book, and the other books kine seem anti climatic

I have a feeling that "Brimstone" is the last book in a trilogy. I'd reply to your feeling that the 2nd two books are anti-climactic, but I don't want to give the plot away.

Robert Parker passed away yesterday. Many fans will be saddened to hear the news. Not only followers of his detective novels, but those of us who feel he was an excellent writer of "western" fiction as well.

No, damn it, not only is it sad for his family and fans, but it means no more Hitch and Cole, we can only hope that this means Harris makes the movies of the last two books in his honor

Gunfreak

I hope so too.

It's sad just two months ago I didn't know who he was, other then a guy that wrote that bok that movie was based on.

But after just reading resolution he became one of my favorite fiction right, togeather with Douglas Adams and Richard O'brian